Wild winger Mats Zuccarello has arm surgery, likely will miss training camp

Whenever the Wild convenes for training camp, the team won't have right winger Mats Zuccarello on the ice.

December 5, 2020 at 1:10AM
(Sarah McLellan/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Whenever the Wild convenes for training camp, the team won't have right winger Mats Zuccarello on the ice.

The team said Friday that Zuccarello had surgery on his right arm in his native Norway; a timeline for a return is unclear.

Zuccarello broke his right arm in 2019 during his debut with Dallas following a trade from the New York Rangers, an injury that required surgery and sidelined him for roughly five weeks. Upon his return, Zuccarello was dynamic in the playoffs for the Stars – chipping in four goals and seven assists in 13 games – and the Wild went on to sign Zuccarello that ensuing offseason to a five-year, $30 million contract.

The 33-year-old registered 15 goals and 22 assists in 65 regular-season games in 2019-20.

The NHL season is still in flux as Wild players deal with uncertainty. The Associated Press reported Friday that a mid-January start is likely the best the league can hope for, and the season would likely be between 50 and 60 games at best.

about the writer

Sarah McLellan

Minnesota Wild and NHL

Sarah McLellan covers the Wild and NHL. Before joining the Star Tribune in November 2017, she spent five years covering the Coyotes for The Arizona Republic.

See More

More from Wild

card image

Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury donned a disguise and joined the ice crew for Tuesday’s preseason game but was back in the team’s final tuneup before the season begins.

card image
Marcus Foligno (17) of the Minnesota Wild celebrates at the end of the game Tuesday, Oct. 19 at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. Joel Eriksson Ek scored the game winner in overtime.